The first time I saw Get Whacked I knew instantly that I would never climb it. Since then I’ve belayed a few people on it and toproped it a couple times, but it always seemed way above my pay grade. Ice has always been that way for me. I’ve been completely gripped on nearly every pitch of ice I’ve ever done. Recently I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because I very rarely toproped anything. When I did, I didn’t do it often enough to get comfortable with tool placements, crampon placements, or movement in general. Since I was almost always on lead, and usually pretty close to my limit, it was the scariest pitch of my life… every time.
Last season was different. With a freshly healed broken thumb, leading was not an option. So, I was forced to toprope everything I did. It was great. I spent the whole winter running laps on pitches way harder than I would ever consider leading, and I got to focus on the climbing instead of being so damn scared all the time. This winter, with my hand healed and the fresh memories of ice climbing actually being fun stored away in my head, I finally feel good leading ice.
After some mixed climbing on Saturday, I went to Maple on Sunday. When we arrived I got out of the truck, hiked straight to Get Whacked, looked up at it, and thought “I can do that…” I’m no stronger than I was a few years ago. In fact, I’m probably weaker. But it’s amazing how reasonable things seem when you’re mind isn’t trying to convince your body that they’re impossible.
After I got down, Rick played around on it a bit so Steve could shoot some photos, and then Jess decided that it was also her day to lead the hardest ice pitch she’s ever done. Her approach to ice is a bit different than mine. I climb to a rest, rest, palace a screw, and then climb to another rest. Jess climbs to a rest, rests, and then climbs some more, only stopping to place gear when she’s close to ground-fall territory. Watching her hike the piss out of the route that I had just sewn up, Steve walked over to me and said “It’s a good thing you don’t mind being beaten by girls.” I don’t mind at all.
